Sarath N Silva Lashes Out At Mohan Peiris Over Trip To Vatican

Former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva has lashed out at present Chief Justice Mohan Peiris over his inclusion in the Presidential delegation that visited Vatican, Rome, early this week.

“By being a member of the Presidential delegation, the Chief Justice has shown his biases,” the former Chief Justice, who backed the impeachment process against CJ-42 Shirani Bandaranaike, had told BBC Sandeshaya on Sunday.

The former Chief Justice asserted that Peris should not have accepted the President’s invitation to be a member of the government’s delegation to Vatican.

“As a result,” the former Chief Justice said,” CJ Mohan Peiris has no moral right to hear the case pertaining to the legitimacy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s third term election.” However, the President has not taken any measures so far to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on his third term election.

The collective said the Chief Justice’s inclusion in the delegation was an infringement on the country’s judicial independence. The collective added that the judges should distance themselves from the activities of the government in order to ensure independence of the well-being of the judiciary.